Line cook at popular downtown Louisville restaurant charged with arson

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A line cook at a popular downtown Louisville restaurant has been arrested after authorities say he started a fire at that restaurant.

According to the Louisville Metro Arson Bureau, it happened at the 8UP: Elevated Drinkery & Kitchen atop the Hilton Garden Inn at 250 W. Chestnut Street in downtown Louisville.

An arrest report states that 29-year-old Benjamin Comfort, "intentionally started a fire" in the building Saturday, at around 5:30 p.m.

His actions were caught on video, according to the arrest report.

Comfort was arrested a couple of hours later, at 7 p.m., and charged with first-degree arson. He is currently being held in Louisville Metro Corrections.

Late Monday afternoon, Concentric Restaurants, the company that owns and operates 8UP, released the following statement through Boxcar PR:

"It is extremely unfortunate that an incident of this nature transpired last weekend. The small fire that was initiated by an employee was unintended and careless and he has been dismissed as a result of it. Fortunately, no damage was done and the safety of our guests and staff remained our top priority. We appreciate the quick response of the brave men and women of the Louisville Fire Department. We will continue to keep our strict fire protocols in place to ensure incidents like this do not happen in the future."